I think your kitchen looks lovely. The range hood is not wide enough but otherwise I'd be proud to have that kitchen!

Thank you oldbat2be. We actually had the island a medium color gray which I loved until the hood went up. We had it painted the same color as the other cabinets because everything just looked out of place at that point. Before you judge it was free because the cabinets were chipping anyway from the previous job.

On a second look the cabs do look tooyellow. And I just went through this with a grout color and we started over

Just change the backsplash. If the hood still bothers you after living with it for an extended period of time replace that as well.

Just fixing the lighting would be fine, and you could possibly be content and enjoy a less than perfect space. But no. You’ve belabored it into this into where you aren’t going to be happy no matter what you do, because you sense that there are other issues, but just don’t have the discernment to identify what they are. And you just won’t let it go. So, don’t let it go. Fix the issues. All of them.

So, if you want to identify and fix all of the problems in that kitchen, it’s going to mean starting over and getting that wall oven off of that run. That is the major problem that makes the hood be more of a problem than it is. It upsets the whole balance and weighting of the space for it to be there, and knocks the whole room off Center. It’s the elephant in the room causing most of the issues.

Then you need to redo all of your lighting. You do not have nearly enough lighting in the kitchen as a whole, and those pendants are only decorative look at me fixtures rather than functional task lighting. The room is dark and needs better lighting. And you need to use the lighting that is there.

You don’t have enough drawer bases either. Your cabinets are either too short, or too tall. They hit at just the wrong height to work for either look. You have base molding in a working side of an island that is going to be a nasty scuffed mess in 15 minutes.

Either the cabinets are too yellow, or not yellow enough, or there are not enough other varied shades of white in the room to pull white and off white all together. Because the paint used doesn’t work to pull it together. And the counter only accentuates it.

The copper hood needed a wood island or wood island top to really integrate some more warmth into a colder kitchen and not look like the hood landed from Mars. And it needs wall washers for lighting, even if you had more warm elements in the kitchen to tie it in better.

Those bar pulls don’t count, because they do not work at all. And they will snag your clothes and make holes in them. Mixing warm and cool is tricky, and it’s easier for an amateur to go all one way or another. You mixed it up.

All of those expensive mistakes could have been prevented by hiring a good Kitchen Designer. And you will pay a lot more than a 2K fee to fix them.

Or you open up your wine and don’t fix anything but the lighting. And learn your lesson for the next major project. Professional help on the front end is much cheaper. And you get the right result you he first time.

Go drink wine and turn your light on. Add more lights and give thanks that you could afford to do what you did.

Sophie, You are snarky as hell, which I kind of appreciate, and often make really good points worth considering. We are getting our second round of drawings soon on our kitchen design. I want to hear all of your critiques on them. Is there are good way for me to reach you or if I post them on Houzz, will you be sure to see them and comment?

OMG enough with the kitchen designer that we didn't hire. Yes my bad, but let's get over it. We went over every option possible and this was the only layout that accommodated the appliances I wanted thank you. Again ALL of my lights aren't on in my pictures.

At this point I'm thinking of replacing the hood and (ugh) backsplash - the current tile is making the cabinets seem more yellow than they are and I agree I think I need more color in the backsplash and on the walls. Thank you!

M

No it wasn't the only layout. Move on to enjoying the kitchen as is. Turn on the lights, change hood, splash. Pour wine. Drink it::")

M,

Your kitchen is gorgeous, but the clashing whites would bug me, as it seems to be bugging you. I am not a pro, but change your light bulbs first to LED's with a higher K value. If that doesn't work then think about a different backsplash like an encaustic or moroccan tile with bronzes in it to pull the hood into the design.

I hope you find a resolution that suits you so you can enjoy the kitchen. :)

I like the idea of changing out the back splash to tie in the hood. It would be kinder on your budget, solve your yellow cabinet issue and might make the custom hood a feature after all... what if you did a creamy white tile with darker grout? or I love Moroccan patterned tiles like zmith suggested. Not sure how much $$ you are willing to spend to fix this but you could also make the island darker... Since changing the white cabinets might be hard would you consider a darker top like butcher block? Even making your barn door darker?

Check out the Merola tile on Home Depot website. It’s cheaper and more user friendly. I think this is a great idea!

M...can you take a picture with the lights on? I love zmith’s suggestion of some encaustic tile. That could really add some pizzazz to the entire space.

Kim k that was originally the look I was going for..... And per another comment right now my grout is actually a greige color. Here is a pic with all the lights on at night (No sunlight). Will take another one with sun in the morning. If you can see on the counter, I've already picked up some tile samples.

I worry that new back splash is still not going to solve your problem of cabinets and wall color looking off. It am also concerned that you are going to start a chain reaction of expensive investments where each new element is going to raise one more challenge of matching to the whole. At this point I would:

1. Find someone who is great with photoshop and can show you mock ups of all your ideas.

2. I love the idea that someone proposed of staining the barn door to look more like the hood.

3. Does your island take stools on the far side? If so, get stools that brings together the hood color and barn door color so you have a trio of elements that are your cohesive accent color.

4. Get an exact color match to paint your walls the same color as your cabinets or try a nice very light grey wall.

5. Leave your lovely tile and grey grout be. I think your walls and your cabinets being off are a bigger problem than your cabinets and the tiles. I think tile is an expensive investment that is not going to solve the problem.

6. Start accessorizing! Stools, cutting board, canisters, nice dish towels.

See this example below for ideas: Look at the pics from far away, not up close so you can get the idea of blocks of color on the hood and door. Your hood isn't' wood and these colors are not quite what you are working with, but see how great it looks to have a barn door and hood relate? Plus the interesting chairs bring an extra layer of texture, and the off grey wall color is excellent as you don't have to then worry about it clashing with your white cabinets. Two pics different times of day.

Additionally, if you want a white hood, I would not hesitate to have your metal one professionally painted. It needs to be removed, and professionally spray painted with the right kind of paint in a workshop, however, metal can be every bit as much painted as wood. We are designing our kitchen now. The cabinet maker and I both think a wood hood will look too bulky. We are instead ordering a metal hood and the cabinet makers are going to paint it in their shop to match the cabinets. (Probably won't be an exact, exact match. Through your thread, I'm seeing how I could drive myself crazy about it, but I think I am just going to decide not to go bonkers over it.)

Lastly, if you decide to retile, I would spend the money to get enough tiles to make a 2 ft x3 ft sample board and move it all over your stove and back splash at different times of day and night to see how it looks. Take pictures of it in different locations and then look at the pics on your screen. Sometimes it is easier to get objective views of a room when you see it as a pic vs looking just with your eyes in the space. You want to make sure you are going to love this tile with your hardware, lighting, barn door, paint job, cabinets, the whole kit and caboodle.

Well, for what it’s worth, it looks a TON better with all the lights on.

Much better with lights on. For what it is worth, the "instant" daylight reducers in the kitchen ?? The cabinetry w//valance over the sink window, fridge location , which appears could have been placed alongside pantry, and bar area eliminated or reversed with fridge. Not the point . The lights make a huge difference......use em.

I am looking forward to the picture in morning light. I do understand that the point is to enjoy the kitchen in natural light too (not to always have to have the lights on). I'm willing to photoshop tiles for you but I need clean shots of sample boards taken from straight on for best results. (Easier to use images from websites). May I say that I think you're being a good sport? Sometimes these posts take on a life of their own and one wishes one had never asked the question in the first place....

looks great with the lights on. I would prefer a stainless hood because the dark hood is so looming. Also the shadows above the cabinets are a little spooky. I personally wouldnt change anything. There is no perfect in life.

First off, don't get annoyed with the responses here. When you post a DD you are opening yourself to all manner of comments. Take from them what you want and ignore the rest.

Second, your kitchen is one that most people would die for. Would a professional have done some things differently? Yes. So if you want to spend many thousands of dollars more to change everything that may not be perfect, then go ahead--hire a certified kitchen designer to help you. (Although not many are going to want to come in at this late date.) If not, finish your kitchen, add some color/pattern with accessories like rugs, window treatments, plants, plates, vases, etc., and then just enjoy it!

Your kitchen looks fabulous with the lights on, enjoy it!

I still think your kitchen looks great. If I were to suggest two changes it would be to go with a black island countertop and secondly to put LED tape lights on the top of your cabinets so you don’t have dark holes up top. But I am not sure the first suggestion is worth the additional expense. The LED tape lights are something you can do or your electrician can to, but again, with the lights on your kitchen look great and I would finish it and enjoy it.

Just playing - wondering how the hood painted the color of the upper cabinets would look with lights on and off.

One last round then must get on with the day! Repainting the cabinets on the far wall is a possibility, if the right colors could be selected.

1- Different white/cream/grey/light color

2- Darker

3 - Lots of contrast, matching hood possibly

Instead of ripping things out, why don't you try to add some accessories that tie the warm and cool elements together? A beautiful large basket or antique bread bowl on the island, a beautiful Persian runner in front of the sink, warm and cool pottery in your glass cabinets.

Something dark on the island and in the glass cabinets will diminish the visual impact of the dark hood.

Runner from Pottery Barn with warm and cool colors.

I think you’re overthinking it.

As others have suggested, start furnishing it with everyday essentials and start living in it and using it; it really is a lovely kitchen.

Jan, the pantry area is 15" deep, so I can't put the wall oven or the fridge over there. and can't move the doorway. Like I said I went over every option. I moved the fridge over there because I wanted the ovens next to each other for ease of use. and the fridge is too wide to be next to the stove anyway. This was the only way.

Kendrah, thank you for your post, very helpful. I am buying wooden stools. I believe accessorizing will take me only so far though. love the pics you posted but the different layout, floor color, wgite cabinet color and the fact they go to the ceiling I believe make the big difference. My wall color is actually a light grey called classic grey by BM. I know, should be darker. thinking of doing pale oak.

And I'm not getting offended at all, appreciate all the comments. It's a discussion. what I think doesn't help is the repetitive "you should have hired someone" or the "leave it alone" as that is neither here nor there and isn't what I'm looking for you know? I understand some people will like the kitchen but I don't and when you renovate and pay money I want to like or hopefully love it when done, no matter what.

oldbat2be that'd be awesome! I'm thinking something like the attached. any chance you can show me with the white cabinet hood too?

or....

The kitchen looks much better with the lights on, and from a wider perspective the hood isn't as much of a focal point.

There have been questions about your layout, but I like it! It's efficient from a prep point of view--items to be prepped flow from fridge, to sink, to prep area across the aisle, or to counter between the sink and cooktop, to the cooktop. DW is not in the prep space between the sink and cooktop. If you are storing dishes above or to the right of the DW, or in the island across from the DW, then someone loading or unloading the DW, or gathering dishes to set the table, won't interfere with prep and cooking. Your aisle widths look sufficient. You need more drawer storage, but eventually you can retrofit drawers or roll-out trays.

You have a really nice, beautiful kitchen. Now, what are you doing about the open trash/recycling cans beside the fridge? Is there no pull-out in the new cabinets?

Oh there is a pullout in the island. we just needed to remove the bins for a little while

last backsplash pics I promise. just saw these and thought they were cool. I want to bring more cream color in as opposed to white, along with grey and some brown to pull out the bronze more maybe?

I like your tile choices but I don't understand why you won't try some easily changeable, less dramatic solutions before you tear up your kitchen?

I've only done a couple of tiles but think you are spot on with color choices. It's really helpful to have tile sizes / repeats. Also, sometimes the pattern looks too blurry if I size it where I think it should be so I size it a little larger so that the tile can be seen.

First tile (I think I'm off on the repeat):

Here, I reduced the brightness - again, very much a guess.

Tile 2:

Tile 2 - less brightness:

Hard to tell since the color of most of these marbles are more creamy vs stark white in person. But I do love the pattern as I think it breaks up the kitchen and adds interest

Gorgeous tile selections.

I think the white painted hood loses all sense of visual interest and just makes the spaces on either side of the hood look very odd, like you forgot to order enough cabinets. With the darker hood it looks framed by the space around it. The mock up that seems to work best to me is the one where the hood stays the same but the island top is darker and similar in tone to the hood - it ties everything in and acts as a visual cue directing attention to the hood and the interesting shape. I think with that you’d still need a little more light over by the hood (Like I said earlier, I think you want to light the hood itself as if it were a piece of artwork, not just rely on the overhead lights, and that will make that whole area look brighter) but the issue of natural lighting in this kitchen isn’t really a problem caused by the hood, it’s just a problem of how much light is available due to window placement and orientation of the house.

Not going to change the island top right now.

The first tile choice that you posted is beautiful. I especially like that the predominant background field is a mottled marble with grey tones. I think if you get tile with a background that is too white, you are going to end up right where you started - thinking the tile makes your cabinets look too yellow.

Are you thinking of using the same tile everywhere there is back splash and subway tile in your current kitchen? Do the cabinets have to be removed to do this job?

Just popping in to say that although I like many of your backsplash choices, please make sure to get samples of all options you are seriously considering and put them in your kitchen next to your cabinets so you can find one that goes well with your cabinets (and avoid the problem with your existing backsplash).

Yes definitely intend on getting samples. Cabinets do not need to be removed. I would put tile everywhere there is currently tile, but also will probably change hood too to a more boxy cabinet hood like this. If I change it.

In the mock ups the boxy cabinet style closes up the space by the stove even more. I suspect it’d look darker than you’d think and make the counter area there very closed in looking.

You think? I feel the current hood is too small (and dark) and doesn't allow the tile to go to the ceiling because of where the cabinets stop. So I was hoping the brighter and bigger good would do the trick. It would fill the space, brighten it and solves my tile issue all in one. Plus I won't have to raise the cabinet molding. I don't know that's what I'm thinking...

I think the current hood is maybe a little small, but I think it could be made visually larger with lighting and a nice tile especially if you ran the tile to the ceiling, or by adding some contrasting trim to the hood maybe?

But someone early on in the thread did a mock up with a big rectangular cabinet hood and it just looks huge and overwhelming in the space, and bland. Plus that would close off the space on the backsplash over the range, so if you choose a tile to add interest, it’s probably not going to show very well, at least with the lights off and with no under hood/cabinet lighting.

Here, from earlier:

Just looks to me like anytime you were at the range you’d be working in a cave. And the hood dominates the space because it’s so big.

As someone who has spent hours looking a pics of hoods on Houzz, I agree with what someone just said above. Maybe it was because the photoshopped pics aren't an accurate representation, but I think a boxy wood hood is not going to be advantageous in your space. Nor do I think it is the right combo with focal point tile work like what you have picked out. I think you either do tile with the hood you have now - potentially painted, or do the boxy wood hood and not tile.

I think the boxy hood with my current tile is going to be a white out. But you're right I domt think the mock up is an accurate representation.

No, they aren’t 100% accurate. But they can indicate things that might be major issues before you make an expensive mistake. I’d maybe try mocking something up using white cardboard or poster board?

Is your current hood metal or painted wood? I would keep it and repaint. I don’t think a box hood will look good because it will be too close to the corner and will give the appearance of being squished in. You don’t have much cabinetry on either side of your range...it’s a tight space. Most of the box hoods that look really nice have lots of space on either side of them....they are not crammed in so close to a corner.

It's a metal hood and I would sell it before painting it since it was so expensive.

All you need is some accessories. A stack of cutting boards leaning against the backsplash, some potted herbs, a cutting board in the island. Bring warmth onto the cabinets and add a runner with color that includes a darker shade. Your kitchen looks beautiful just undecorated.

I didn’t realize it was metal. Yes, sell it if you can’t stand the color. But I still wouldn’t go boxy.